Before the release of Android 4.4, stock Android came with a basic SMS app. It served as a simple way to exchange text messages the old-school way, without dealing with data connections or usernames. Then the functionality got merged into Hangouts, and while a new standard Messenger app is returning for 5.0, there are many people with devices that won't see that update for months—if ever.

That leaves plenty of room for a basic texting app, one without a fancy name or a distracting icon, and one that doesn't look out of place compared to Google's first-party offerings.

It has been a big, big month in the world of Android. Lollipop is a reality, and it's already starting to roll out to devices. At the same time, Android Wear got a nice little update, and a few more watches came out. What fun! Now all you need is the right assortment of apps to grace that watch, and all will be well. We've got all the best new stuff right here, so read on.

Perhaps you have used Koush's Mirror app in the past. Well, you haven't used this one—it's a completely new app with a new listing in the Play Store. Mirror still lets you beam your phone or tablet display to other devices, but it can also record the screen. The difference, now it can work without root on Lollipop.

Guys, it's happening. It's really happening – a real guitar amp simulator is available on Android. IK Multimedia's Amplitube is one of the most popular amp sims on iOS, and the company has been working with Samsung to bring it to Android. But, of course, there's a catch: it's only for the Note 4 and Note Edge for now.

Apparently, Samsung found a way to virtually eliminate the audio-in latency issue that has plagued Android since the dawn of time – an issue that iOS never had.

Apple's proprietary iMessage system lets iPhone users send text messages to other iPhone users over a data network, avoiding SMS charges and making texting free, at least within Apple's ecosystem. It's an impressive run-around of the entrenched carrier system - the same basic idea, applied to an agnostic model, has made texting alternatives like WhatsApp fantastically popular. But users found that trying to leave Apple's walled garden was much harder after setting up iMessage with their personal phone numbers.

Happy news, Canadian HTC One (M8) owners! If you were fidgeting in wait of that OTA update that would bring your device up to Android 4.4.4 and add all the cool (and weird) features of the Eye Experience, you should sit still and count the seconds until 9am, PST time today. That's when the update shall start flowing to those of you who bought an M8 through Rogers, TELUS, or Bell, as announced by Mo Versi, HTC's VP of Product Management.

One of the new features introduced in Android Lollipop is an android.media.projection API that allows apps to capture the device's screen. Unlike KitKat 4.4, where you could achieve this through ADB and a USB cable (or on your phone directly with some root privileges), this new API works out of the box and opens the screen recording feature to non-root devices.

When we first reported on this option, only a couple of apps had made use of it. Now, one of the most established screen recorders has joined them — SCR Screen Recorder's developer released an Android 5.0+ version of his app that doesn't require root.

Google's pre-order sales of the Nexus 6 on the US Play Store have been, to put it delicately, crap. By my estimate all four storage and color variants of the phone have been available for ordering for a grand total of about twenty minutes over the last two weeks, and Motorola hasn't fared much better selling them on its own site. If you're waiting for the retail release of the Nexus 6...

Between low prices, Nexus-style Android builds, and updates straight from Google, the Android One phones currently on sale in India seem like ideal tinker machines. Now those who want to play with custom ROMs, software modifications, or just want an easy way to root and backup their phones have an official Team Win Recovery Project build available to them. The custom recovery can be downloaded from the official TWRP page.